Set of cooking utensils

ABSTRACT

A set of cooking utensils having identical diameter openings but having different heights and, therefore, different capacities, each utensil being nestable one within the other. Two types of lids are provided for the utensils. One lid is of the type to cover the utensil for normal cooking. The other type of lid is provided for pressure cooking and includes means for sealingly fastening same to the cooking utensils and means for releasing the steam in the utensil safely without danger of burning the user of the utensil.

United States Patent Kraft et al.

[ 5 4] SET OF COOKING UTENSILS' [72] Inventors: Paul Kraft, Am Linsenbrumnen 1; Karl 1 Oberlanden; Eberhardstr. 61, both of Geislingen,Steige, Germany [22] Filed: Jan. 9, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 790,107

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 11,1968 Germany ...P17 53 156 5 Aug. 7,1968 Germany.... ...P 17 79 401.3 Feb. 12, 1969 Germany ..P l8 14 978.5

52 user ..99/340 511 im, Cl. ..A47j 26/12 581 FieldoiSearch..... ..99/340,339;220/23.83,23.86,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES V V 1,311,957 8/1919 Ferris ..292/256.67X

[ 1 Feb. 15,1972

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 837,721 11/1938 France... ..220l23.86 1,039,970 5/1953 France ..220/40 Primary Examiner-Leon G. Machlin Attorney-Woodhams, Blanchard and Flynn [57] ABSTRACT 14 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PAIENIEUFEBIS m 4 3.641.920

SHEET 3 OF 6 13d F IGA IN V EN TORJ PATENTEB EB 1 I872 sum uqr 6 FIG. 6

IN V EN TORS w Tu, MM RE Km m mm ifwdzLgZwM wigw PATENTEDFEB 15 m2 3.641 ;92o'

sum s or 6 FIG. 9

INVENTORS P401 mun mm 055mm BY Q AWOKA/f/S SET OF COOKING UTENSILS This invention relates to a set of cooking utensils. The invention can be appliedto electrical cooling utensils,'in particular to those cooking utensils which can be used for cooking and for serving on a table.

The term cooking is thereby to be understood in its broadest sense; it includes all types of food preparation by adding heat.

Commonly known electrical cooking utensilsare sold with insert or contact lids fitting the single cooking utensils. These cooking utensils are often offered in complete sets whereby one set includes utensils of variable sizes and attimes also of variable forms. The utensils of one set can thereby have the same diameters. These utensils are suitable exclusively for normal cooking without an excess pressure in the cooking utensil. These cooking utensilsare often of such a decorative shape that they can not only be used for cooking but also for serving.

On the other, hand, special steam pressure cooking pots exist. These consist of a cooking utensil and a steam pressure cooking lid which are adjusted to one another in so far as they can be sealingly connected. The lid has thereby the common steam pressure cooking devices, namely a safety valve, a pressure balancing device and sealing elements. The cooking utensils of the known steampressure cooking pots are, because of their adjustment to the requirements of the steam pressure cooking, not particularly decorative in shape and can thus not be used for serving foods on the table. They furthermore have the disadvantage of being rather expensive so that one household buys at most only one steam pressure cooking pot. This means that only one size and type of utensil is bought for steam pressure cooking.

The basic purpose of the invention is to construct a set of cooking utensils which can all be used selectively as normal cooking utensils or as steam pressure cooking pots. To attain this purpose, the invention provides a set of cooking utensils which is characterized by a plurality of cooking utensils having the same opening diameters and different heights, said cooking utensils being jointly associated with at least one contact and/or insert lid which can be placed selectively on said cooking utensils and a steam pressure cooking device which can be applied selectively to said cooking utensils,'said steam pressure cooking device consisting of a support releasably securable in the zone of the edge of the cooking utensil and a steam pressure cooking lid with the usual steam cooking devices, like the safety valve and gasket ring, said steam pressure cooking lid being fixable onsaid support.

The set of cooking utensils of the invention is associated with a normal lid and a steam pressure cooking lid. Thus it is possible to selectively use all cooking utensils of the set for normal cooking and for steam pressure cooking with a normal lid and a steam pressure cooking lid, the latter in connection with one single support releasably mountable to the utensils. Thus, with very simple means, each household is put in a position to buy one entire set of variably sized steam pressure cooking utensils and to buy at the same time a set of dishes which is suitable for both cooking with or without pressure and also for serving. The latter is possible because in shaping the cooking utensils, practically no consideration must be given to the requirements of the steam pressure cooking. The parts used for steam pressure cooking are releasably applied to the cooking utensils. They can, therefore, be removed before serving.

The support is advantageously a ring with a horizontal flange which has recesses and forms a slide lock with the lower edge of the steam pressure cooking lid. The steam pressure cooking lid can be secured in a simple manner to the cooking utensils which are provided with the support.

This is particularly the case if it is provided that the cooking utensils have two lateral ear-type handles and that the ring has recesses which are open toward its lower edge, which recesses are dimensioned in'such a manner that said ring is movable over the ear-type handles with the handles being positioned in the recesses and is secured by said ear-type handles against rotation and sliding. In this case, the ear-type handles are used at the same time as a stop and locking device for the support ring.

The ring can consist of at least two jointedly connected sections or of resilient material and can be interrupted at a peripheral point and can there be provided with a tensioning lock. The ring can then be placed along the edge of the respective cooking utensil by a simple manipulation and can be tightened through the tensioning lock.

The ring can also be constructed in one piece and can be movable onto the cooking utensils. The mounting and releasing of the support in this case is also not difficult.

It can happen in entirely normal cooking utensils that the base is not sufficiently rigid in order to maintain its shape when an inside pressure is being built up. This has the disadvantage in the case of electrical cooking that no sufficient contact between the electrical hot plate and the base of the cooking utensil is provided. It is therefore advantageously provided that the cooking utensils each have a base reinforcement layer receiving the stress during steam pressure cooking.

In order to prevent that the steam pressure cooking devices of an inventive set of cooking utensils is used with electrical utensils which have bases which are not sufficiently rigid, it is particularly advantageous if the opening diameter of the cooking utensils of the inventive set of cooking utensils differs from the standard opening diameter for electrical cooking utensils. It can then not happen that by mistake the steam pressure cooking devices of the inventive set of utensils are combined with utensils which do not meet the stress requirements for steam pressure cooking.

It is a purpose of the invention to construct a set of cooking utensils of the above-described type with simple means in such a manner that said set can be stored on a minimum of space.

To attain said purpose, the invention provides that the wall and/or inner base arrangements of the cooking utensils of one set are adjusted to one another in such a manner that the cooking utensils can be stacked.

The stacked utensils of the set require only insignificantly more room than the largest utensil of the set alone. This is not only advantageous in view of the storing in the kitchen where each saving of room is appreciated but also in sales. and storage. Furthermore packaging material is being saved.

The cooking utensils with the largest holding capacity are advantageously constructed to be insertable in the cooking utensils with smaller holding capacities. This results in an unusual stacking sequence which, however, has different advantages. Mostimportantly, when the cooking utensils are stacked, the entire inner room of the largest utensil can be used to store therein attachments of the steam pressure device. Furthermore, handles projecting outwardly from the utensils do not impair the insert depth. The cooking utensils are supported against one another essentially with their bases and not on their edges. A damaging of the edges during the stacking which could impair the orderly mounting of the steam pressure devices is thus avoided.

The cooking utensils of one set can have walls which are each inclined outwardly at different angles. The cooking utensils can thus be made to be stackable into one another in a manner which is favorable regarding the manufacture and also regarding the good looks. This construction is particularly advantageous for a stacking sequence large in small." Since the inclination of the wall becomes smaller at an increasing size of the holding capacity of the cooking utensil, that is its height, a substantially continuous shape for each single cooking utensil is obtained.

In another embodiment of the set of cooking utensils of the invention, each pot has a different transition radius between its inner base and the wall. For the room-saving stacking sequence large in small," the lowennost pot receives the largest pot with the smallest radius.

The cooking utensils of one set can advantageously each have the same wall inclinations, base inner diameters and a transition radii adjusted to the base and wall thickness which l allow their stacking into one another. The cooking utensils of said set are stackable into one another in any desired sequence. If sufficient room is provided in the kitchen, no special attention need be'paid to the sequence of stacking, particularly if the steam pressure cooking device can be stored in another way.

i In a preferred embodiment of the set of cooking utensils of the invention-comprising a ring which is a part of the steam pressure cooking device and is constructed as a support for the lid with hingedly connected sections and a tensioning lock, .it is' desired to store said ring' in the uppermost cooking utensil of the stack. This is made possible in a simple manner by making the ring of at least three hingedly connected series of sections. The ring can thus be folded in such a manner that it finds room at least in the largest pot of the set which is provided in the above-described construction of the stack.

A ring having a .central section constructed as a double hinge is advantageously simple in manufacture and sturdy in construction and easy to be handled. I

The double hinge is advantageously hinged to the adjacent sections only along a part of its height which part is spaced from its upper edge. Thus, it is not in the way when the steam pressure cooking lid is placed on the pot or is removed therefrom. The sections can each be provided with an edge strip which are spaced apart from the double hinge and project over the double hinge. The edge strips offer, at a ring which is clamped around the utensil to the steam pressure cooking lid also above the double hinge, the support necessary for its tight fit. Thus, they make it possible that the lid does not need to be constructed specially or that support parts would have to be mounted to the double hinge where they would hinder the swinging movement ofthe single ring sections.

A handle mounted to the ring can be secured advantageously to the double hinge. When the ring is being folded, the handle can be swung together with said ring and thus would not interfere with the storing of the ring in a cooking utensil. Since it must be arranged in any case spaced-away from the upper ring edge in order to not prevent the placing of the lid on the utensil, the double hinge which is also offset downwardly and which, if necessary, can be extended beyond the lower ring edge is the suitable mounting place.

It is further a purpose of the invention to produce a safety device for a set of cooking utensils for selective steam pressure cooking, which safety device excludes an opening under steam pressure and is simple and sturdy in construction, which is easily manufacturable and operable and is safe to use in the case of inattentive handling of the cooking apparatus.

To attain said purpose, the invention provides that the steam pressure cooking lid which is provided with a handle is provided with a safety device to prevent an opening under pressure, said safety device consisting of a one-piece, twoarmed rocking lever which is supported in the lid handle, the one arm of said rocking lever forming a pressure element with its free end, which pressure element lifts off the gasket ring from its seat through a recess in the lid when the rocking lever is in acting position, and the other arm of which projects out of the lid handle'and forms a locking member which prevents, when the rocking lever is in a rest position, a rotation of the lid relative to the cooking utensil.

The safety device of the invention assures that the steam pressure is discharged before opening of the lid and the safety device is simply and inexpensively manufacturable, has a room-saving construction and is easy to be handled. The safety device assures an accident-free operation since it is provided with only one single movable structural part. The end of the rocking lever projecting from the handle is being gripped during the placing of the lid on the utensil and also during its removal therefrom together with the lid handle and is being operated automatically upon closing of the hand. Therefore, the locking member is not being stressed through careless attempts to open the lid without releasing the locking member. In placing the lid on the utensil, the sealing effect is lifted as long as the lid handle is being gripped which'makes closing of the lid easier, particularly if hot contents are in the pot. The handles on the lid and the pot can be of a short construction because of the reduced strength. Thus storage of the cooking apparatus and the lid requires only little room.

The second lever arm projects advantageously from the underside of the lid handle and engages in its locking position in a recess of a pot handle. Thus, locking of the lid is accomplished in a particularly simple manner which does not require any special attention of the operator because the lid and the pot handle must be always rotated one on top of the other for the locking position. The provision of a recess in the pot handle does not significantly increase the manufacture expenses because no movable parts must be provided. If the pot is provided with two oppositely arranged handles, as this is normally the case, then both can be provided with a recess so that only one type of handle must be manufactured and beyond that still less attention is required during placing of the lid on the pot. Furthermore, an automatic locking can be obtained in a simple manner by constructing the second lever arm acting as a locking member heavier than the first one. Thus, said second lever arm will engage the recess through its own weight and be maintained therein. The lever projecting downwardly from the lid handle is furthermore being gripped by the front finger joints of the operators hand during gripping of the lid handle, thus is pressed upwardly out of the closing position with certainty before rotation of the lid.

In a preferred embodiment, the rocking lever is urged by a spring which presses said rocking lever into the locking position. The spring is an additional safety device for the locking position of the lever on the pot and reminds the user'of the provision of a lock through the resistance with which said spring opposes a lifting of the lever arm during a gripping of the handle. Furthermore, said spring relieves the gasket ring by holding back the pressure element even if the lid is stored in a position in which the own weight of the second lever arm cannot act.

The first lever arm can have a nose functioning as a pressure release element at its free end. The nose makes it possible to lift the gasket ring, in the zone of one of its lip-shaped ends, off from the lid contrary to the known, above-described pressure pin. This requires a smaller force and also protects the gasket rmg.

In an advantageous development of the safety device of the invention, the lid handle has a discharge channel for the steam connected to the recess in the lid. The discharging steam finds a resistance-free path which assures a quick discharge. At the same time, the discharging steam is forced in a direction which prevents the operator from getting burnt. The discharge channel opens up advantageously at the underside of the lid handle since the operator's hand during discharge of the steam is known and a discharge direction in an upward direction would hit the face, and thereby be dangerous.

As an additional assurance against burning of the hand of the operator during gripping of the lid and releasing the lock, the discharge channel can be sealed against the lever through at least one compressible insert.

The lever and the spring can be arranged in a frame part. The safety device is thus advantageously simply mountable. The lid handle has a decorative appearance.

The recess in the pot handle can advantageously be provided with parallel side surfaces which safely prevent an unintentional sliding out of the lever arm which acts as a locking member upon rotation of the lid. Furthermore, the pot handle can have on both sides abutting surfaces rising to the upper edge of the recess. Upon rotation of the lid into the locking position, the lever arm is pressed upwardly and the nose is thus pressed against the gasket ring even if the operator does not also grip around the lever arm. in this manner, the lid is in any case rotated to an unsealed condition so that, even if the contents in the pot are hot, no pressure can form as yet which would make the rotation difficult. Moreover, the engagement of the lever into the recess can be noted clearly so that the operator will know that the locking position has been reached.

A device can advantageously be arranged on the support which device is engaged by the lever arm in locking position, said lever arm being used as a locking member. For such a set of cooking utensils in which handles are mounted to the support, said handles have recesses for the lever arm.

Further advantages and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the several embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a set of cooking utensils of the invention with two embodiments of a conventional lid;

. FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in cross section of one of the set of cooking utensils of the invention illustrating a pressure cooking device;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of one of the set of cooking utensils of the invention illustrating another embodiment of the pressure cooking device;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a support; and

FIG. 5 is a top viewof the support;

* FIG. 6 is a partly schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a nestable set of cooking utensils according to the invention;

- FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a nestable set illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view. similar to FIG. 7. but illustrating a further embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a top view of a support ring of the set of cooking utensils illustrated in FIG. 6-8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a safety device for the set of cooking utensils of the invention; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view along the line XI-XI of FIG. 10.

Three cooking utensils la, lb and 1c are illustrated in FIG. I. They all show the same opening diameter, however, they vary'in height. The illustrated embodiment shows electrical cooking utensils which are made of unrustable steel. Of course, it is understood that the set could also have a greater or smaller number of cooking utensils and could be of other shapes and sizes, such as pans. Each cooking utensil Ia-lc has an outwardly curved upper edge 2 which forms a pouring lip. Brackets 3 (FIG. I) are secured to the sides of the utensils to which handles can besecured (not illustrated). The diameter of the utensils la-lc differs from the normal diameters for electrical utensils. However, the diameter is, at least in the zone of the base, adjusted to the diameters of the common electrical heating plates. A base-reinforcement layer 4, for example in a sandwich construction, is mounted to the outside of the base of each cooking utensil la-Ic, which layer is dimensioned in such a manner that the base cannot be warped even at an excess pressure in the cooking utensil. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the transition of the cooking utensil from the sidewalls to the base is rounded off. Thus, food cannot settle in the inner edges. Furthermore, the possibility exists to stack the cooking utensils in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1.

At least one lid is provided for all of the locking utensils la-lc as this is illustrated in FIG. 1 in two embodiments 5 (left half) and 6 (right half). The lid 5 illustrated in the left half of FIG. I is a common insert lid which, with its edge 5; is inserted in the opening of the respective cooking utensil. The lid 5 has a central knob 7. The lid 6, on the other hand, is a contact lid which, with an edge flange 6', rests on the opening edge 2 of the cooking utensils. The lid 6 has a straight handle. Of course, it would also be possible to provide the insert lid 5 with a straight handle while the contact lid 6 could also be provided with a center knob which could also be constructed as a ban- .dle. The lid 6 with the straight handle 8 can also be used as a serving plate. The set of cooking utensils illustrated in FIG. 1

can be used for normal cooking whereby each cooking utensil fits the requirements with respect to its contents. For example,

the utensil la can be used as a vegetable pot, the utensil lb as ameat pot and the utensil lc as a roast pot. The lid 5 or 6 can be used for each of the pots.

However, pressure cooking is not possible with the loosely trates a first embodiment of such a pressure cooking device in connection with the cooking utensil lb. The main parts of the steam pressure cooking device are a support 10 which is releasably securable underneath the opening edge 2 of the cooking utensil and a steam pressure cooking lid 11 which can be settled on the support 10. The support 10 has a horizontal flange 12 which projects outwardly over the opening edge 2, as is illustrated more in detail in FIGS 4 and 5. The support consists of a ring 13, which is divided at 14 and consists of two sections which'are hingedly connected at 140 but which could also be made of a resilient material. A tensioning lock 15 with a handle 16 is arranged at the dividing point 14. The ring 13 can be tightly clamped around the upper edge of each cooking utensil la lc by means of the tensioning lock 15.

The ring 13 has oppositely positioned recesses 13a in its underside which recesses fit exactly over ear-type handles 24. Furthennore, the ring 13 is provided with sliding catch flaps 12a projecting in the zone of flange 12 of said ring. Two joints 14a with an intermediate section are provided in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 4-5, a straight handle 20 being secured to said intermediate section.

The pressure cooking lid 11 is provided with the common devices of the lid of a pressure cooking utensil and is provided particularly with a safety valve 17 and a gasket 18 inserted in its outer edge. The lower edge of the lid 11 is, as this is illustrated in FIG. 2, drawn inwardly in sections and forms, together with the flaps 120, the ring 13 of a sliding catch. When the gasket ring 18 has been placed on the utensil, said gasket ring is tightened against the flange 12 of the support 10 so that the lid 11 forms a pressure resistant seal of the cooking utensil la-lc. The support 10 is provided with the mentioned handle 20 which is secured by means of a screw 22 to a bracket 21 mounted to section 13c. Similarly, a handle 23 is secured on the steam pressure cooking lid. 11. Both handles are constructed as straight handles in the embodiment of FIG. 2. They are positioned one on top of the other when the lid is closed and can be provided with a locking device (not illustrated) which secures the lid against inadvertent rotation into the open position when the cooking pot is under steam pressure. Said locking device can be constructed in such a manner that the steam pressure presses a safety element into a locking position which is released only when the pressure in the pot sinks to a value which allows opening. I-Iandles 24 are secured to the cooking utensil lb or the other cooking utensils.

The steam pressure cooking device 10, 11 can be placed onto each one of the cooking utensils la-lc so that each of said utensils can be converted into a steam pressure cooking pot.

As indicated in dash-dotted lines in FIG. 2, the pressure cooking lid 11 can also be provided with short lateral handles 25 which are arranged so that they are positioned above the handles 24 when the lid is closed. This embodiment would be given more advantageous than the one with the straight handles in that the pressure cooking device uses less room when stored because of the elimination of the straight handle.

FIG. 3 illustrates a different embodiment of the steam pressure cooking device again in connection with the cooking utensil 1b. The lid does not differ from the one of FIG. 2 and is therefore gain identified with the reference numeral 11. The parts mounted to said lid correspond to the parts provided with the same reference numerals in FIG. 2. However, a different support 26 is provided which consists of a closed rigid ring 27 which can be slipped onto the cooking utensils la-lc from below until its horizontal flange 28 comes to lie underneath the opening edge 2 of the utensils and projects laterally thereover. A straight handle 30 is again secured to a bracket 28 of the ring 27 by means of a screw 31. The ring 27 has not-illustrated, edge-open recesses so that it can be moved over the handles of the cooking utensils. The ring is dimensioned so that it is held in a clamp fit at the upper edges of the cooking utensils. In order to free the ring after it has been once clamped in place, it is advantageous in this embodiment to slightly taper the wall of the cooking utensils from the base a upwardly and to shape same cylindrically only shortly beneath 4 the opening edge 2. The ring 27 of the support 26 engages the cylindrical section. The edge 28 also has not-illustrated recesses and forms a sliding catch with the lower edge 19 of the pressure cooking lid 11. As with the steam cooking device 11, the support 26 can be used together with all cooking utensils 1a -.-1c of the set. The above-mentioned locking device for securing against unintended opening can be mounted between the handles 23 and 30. k

Thus, the invention produces a set of cooking utensils, the

utensils of which can be chosen suitably based on the type of food and the method of cookinglt is thereby possible to cook normally or also with steam pressure in said utensils. For example, it is possible to first prefry foods which must be heavily fried before cooking, like meat, and then to cook same quickly in the same pot by means of the steam pressure cooking device and to serve same. For foods which require a long cooking time, the steam pressure device can be used right away for cooking. The food can then be cooked in the same utensil until it is done and can be served in-said utensil. Contact or insert lids are provided for this purpose.

v The invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. The number and construction of the cooking utensils can vary to meet the needs. However, as a rule, the utensils will be conble edge is notdecorative. However, if the serving of food in the utensils is not intended, then the edge of the pot can be used as a support. In this case, there is always the advantage that a number of steam pressure cooking utensils can be formed by one single lid. The arrangement and construction of the handle can be varied with respect to the illustrated examples. It must not necessarily be a cooking utensil. The invention can also apply to frying or baking utensils. Furthermore, the invention is also not limited to electrical utensils The invention is also .very suitable in connection with utensils which are used on coal and gas stoves.

The embodiment of FIG. 6 illustrates three cooking utensils 111, 112 and 113 for electrical burners which have the same base abutting surface diameter a and the same opening diameter b. Their heights and thus their volumes are different. The lowermost cooking utensil 111 holds 3 liters, the middle cooking utensil 112holds 5 liters, and the uppermost cooking utensil 113 holds 7 liters.

The cooking utensils can be stacked due to variable angles of inclination of their walls, namely the smallest cooking utensil 111 has an angle of inclination a of its walls which is larger than the angle of inclination B of the cooking utensil 112, and this one in turn is larger than the angle of inclination 'y of the cooking utensil 113. All cooking utensils 111, 112 and 113 have handles 114 which are mounted to the utensils at such a height that said handles are, when the cooking utensils are stacked, always above the edge of the next lower pot.

P16. 7 illustrates in a fragmentary view a different embodiment of a set of cooking utensils, the cooking utensils 111', 112 and 113' of which all have the same angle of inclination 8 of their walls, however, have variable transition radii between base and wall. The lowest cooking utensil l 11' shows thereby the largest transition radius r and the largest cooking utensil 113' has the smallest transition radius r FIG. 8 illustrates in a fragmentary view cooking utensils in FIG. 6. One contact lid and/or insert lid (which is not illustrated) is provided for said cooking utensils for use in normal cooking and a steam pressure cooking device. Said latter has a lid 115 for steam pressure cooking with a valve116, with handles 117 and a gasket ring 118, and a ring 119 which can be mounted selectively to each one of the cooking-utensils and which forms the support for the steam pressure cooking lid 115. If the set of cooking utensils is not being used, the ring 119 can be stored in and the lid 1 15 on the uppermost cooking utensil 113 of the set of cooking utensils in the manner illustrated in 'F1G.'6.

The ring 119, illustrated in a top view in FIG. 9, is open at one point and is provided with a tensioning lock having a hook 211 at one end of the ring and a tensioning lock 212 with an operating and tensioninglever'213 at the other end of the ring.

The ring 119 comprises two semicircular sections 214 and 215 which are hingedly connected by means of a double hinge 216 which acts as a center section. The double hinge 216 permits the r-ing to be folded up so that same can be stored in the largest cooking utensil 113. FIG. 9 illustrates a position of the sections 214 and 215 which is slightly swung out of a circular shape. The double hinge 216 is pivotally connected to the sections 214 and and spaced away from the upper edge of said sections. The double hinge slightly stands over at the lower edge as is illustrated in FIG. 6. A handle 218 is secured to the outside of the double hinge216 by means of a holder The sections 214 and 215 have an edge 219 which is pulled outwardly which edge is provided with spaced-apart projections 120. The edge 219 with the projection 120 acts as a support for the steam pressure cooking lid 115. In order to have a gapless edge ring for this purpose an edge strip 214a or 215a is each arranged in the zone of the double hinge 216 at the sections 214 and 215 in such a manner that said edge strip extends the arcuate shape of the edge 219 and, upon folding of the ring, is movable above the double ring 216. The edge strips 214a and 215a have thereby such lengths that they approximately abut when the ring 119 is closed.

Tl-le ring 119 has recesses 121 (FIG. 6) in its lower edge which recesses, when the ring 119 is placed on one of the cooking utensils, provides room for the handles 1 14.

The invention is not limited to the two section embodiment. The ring can comprise more than three hingedly connected sections, if necessary, also of releasably connected parts. Furthermore, the ring can be constructed without a handle if same is not needed in cooperation with the straight handle of the steam pressure cooking lid.

The cooking utensil, illustrated in the fragmentary view of FlG.'10, for steam pressure cooking comprises a pot 301 with a handle 302, a support 303'for a lid 304 for steam pressure cooking, said support being secured to the pot 301, said lid comprising not-illustrated devices, like a safety valve and a pressure indicator. The pot 301 belongs to a set of pots of variable construction each of which can be connected to the support 303 and can thus be used for steam pressure cooking.

The lid 304 has a downwardly curved edge 305 with inwardly curved, segmentally shaped claws 306 which form a type of slide lock together with segmental flaps 307 at the support. The slide lock is being closed by a suitable rotation of the lid and the support and prevents the lifting off of the lid 304 when pressure exists in the pot 301. A gasket ring 308 is inserted in the lid edge 305 in such a manner that its upper sealing lip 309 abuts against the inner side of the lid 304 in the zone or the edge, while the lower sealing lip 310 abuts against the segmental flaps 307. The gasket ring 308 thus makes possible a pressure increase in the pot 301 whereby the excess pressure further increases the sealing effect.

A lid handle 311 is secured to the lid 304. A frame part 312 is inserted in said lid handle 311 and is secured by means of a countersunk screw 313. A rocking lever 315 is supported in the frame part 312 by means of a pin 314, said rocking lever having a first lever arm 316 and a second lever arm 317. The

first lever arm is provided with a nose 318 which acts onto the gasket ring 308 in the zone of its upper lip 309 through a recess 319 mounted in the lid 304 in the area of the handle 31 l.

The second lever am 317 projects downwardly out of the handle 311 in the locking position illustrated in FIG. 10 and has in this zone a key-shaped construction. A spring 321 is ar- 322 with walls which are parallel to one another, which recess is engaged by the lever am 317 under the pressure of the spring 321. The lid 304 and the pot 301 are locked to prevent relative rotation in this locking position of the lever 315. It is necessary for opening to pivot the lever 315 against the pressure of the spring 321 whereby the nose 318 of the lever arm 316 presses against the sealing lip 309 of the gasket ring 308. In case that an excess pressure is still provided in the pot, the steam can be discharged through the recess 319 of the lid and can discharge downwardly in direction of the arrow A through a discharge channel 323 in the lid handle.

in order to make the engagement of the lever arm 317 into the recess 322 at the pot handle easier and to maintain the lever in open position until the engagement takes place, the crossbar of the pot handle 302 is provided on both sides of the recess 322 with abutting surfaces rising up to said recess, which abutting surfaces for purposes of clarification are not illustrated in FIG. 10.

We claim: 1. A set of cooking utensils, comprising: a plurality of cooking containers suitable for both normal cooking and pressure cooking of foods, said containers each having equal diameter openings therein and an outwardly extending upper edge and different wall heights so that the holding capacity of each container is different, said cooking containers each having a base reinforcement layer for resisting stress applied thereto during steam pressure cooking; steam pressure cooking means adapted to be connected to a selected one of said containers, said steam pressure cooking means comprising a. a support ring having first coupling means and an annular rim thereon and adapted to be releasably connected to said selected container; and

b. a steam pressure cooking lid having an annular gasket thereon cooperable with said annular rim on said support ring to sealingly close said selected container, said lid having second coupling means thereon adapted to cooperate with said first coupling means on said support ring so that said lid will be securely fastened to said selected container and a safety valve to prevent a buildup of excess steam pressure inside said selected container.

2. A set of cooking utensils according to claim 1, including a lid suitable for only normal cooking and adapted to cover said opening in a selected one of said containers.

3. A set of cooking utensils, comprising:

a plurality of cooking containers suitable for both normal cooking and pressure cooking of foods, said containers each having equal diameter openings therein and an outwardly extending upper edge and different wall heights so that the holding capacity of each container is different,

said cooking containers each having two lateral ear-type handles projecting outwardly from the walls thereof;

steam pressure cooking means adapted to be connected to a selected one of said containers, said steam pressure cooking means comprising a. a support nng having at least two sections interconnected by means defining a hinge and means defining at least a pair of recesses which are open toward a lower edge, said recesses being dimensioned so that the sections of said ring are movable onto said ear-type handles with the handles being received in said recesses and said support ring is secured by said handles against rotation and sliding, said support ring further including an annular rim adjacent the upper edge thereof, said annular rim having means defining recesses therein; and

b. a steam pressure cooking lid having an annular gasket thereon cooperable with said annular rim on said support ring to sealingly close said selected container, said lid including coupling means thereon adapted to cooperate with said recess means on said annular rim on said support ring so that said lid will be securely fastened to said selected container and a safety valve to prevent a buildup of excess pressure inside said selected container.

4. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 1, wherein the wall and inner base arrangement of one of the cooking containers is related to another container in said set in such a manner that the cooking containers can be stacked one within the other.

5. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 4, wherein the cooking container having a greater holding capacity is constructed so that it can be inserted in the cooking container with a smaller holding capacity.

6. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 4, wherein each cooking container in said set has an upstanding wall which is inclined outwardly at a different angle than the others.

7. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 4, wherein each cooking container in said set has a different transition radius between the inner base and the upstanding wall.

8. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 4, wherein each cooking container in said set has equal wall inclinations, base inside diameters and transition radii.

9. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 3, wherein the support ring consists of at least three hingedly connected sections.

10. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 9, wherein the central section of said support ring is constructed as a double hinge.

11. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 10, wherein the double hinge is hingedly connected to the adjacent sections each only along a part of its height which part is spaced from the upper edge.

12. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 11, wherein the sections each have one edge strip which is spaced apart from and projects over the double hinge.

13. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 11, wherein a handle is secured to the double hinge.

14. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 1, wherein all cooking containers in said set have an equal base contact surface diameter. 

1. A set of cooking utensils, comprising: a plurality of cooking containers suitable for both normal cooking and pressure cooking of foods, said containers each having equal diameter openings therein and an outwardly extending upper edge and different wall heights so that the holding capacity of each container is different, said cooking containers each having a base reinforcement layer for resisting stress applied thereto during steam pressure cooking; steam pressure cooking means adapted to be connected to a selected one of said containers, said steam pressure cooking means comprising a. a support ring having first coupling means and an annular rim thereon and adapted to be releasably connected to said selected container; and b. a steam pressure cooking lid having an annular gasket thereon cooperable with said annular rim on said support ring to sealingly close said selected container, said lid having second coupling means thereon adapted to cooperate with said first coupling means on said support ring so that said lid will be securely fastened to said selected container and a safety valve to prevent a buildup of excess steam pressure inside said selected container.
 2. A set of cooking utensils according to claim 1, including a lid suitable for only normal cooking and adapted to cover said opening in a selected one of said containers.
 3. A set of cooking utensils, comprising: a plurality of cooking containers suitable for both normal cooking and pressure cooking of foods, said containers each having equal diameter openings therein and an outwardly extending upper edge and different wall heights so that the holding capacity of each container is different, said cooking containers each having two lateral ear-type handles projecting outwardly from the walls thereof; steam pressure cooking means adapted to be connected to a selected one of said containers, said steam pressure cooking means coMprising a. a support ring having at least two sections interconnected by means defining a hinge and means defining at least a pair of recesses which are open toward a lower edge, said recesses being dimensioned so that the sections of said ring are movable onto said ear-type handles with the handles being received in said recesses and said support ring is secured by said handles against rotation and sliding, said support ring further including an annular rim adjacent the upper edge thereof, said annular rim having means defining recesses therein; and b. a steam pressure cooking lid having an annular gasket thereon cooperable with said annular rim on said support ring to sealingly close said selected container, said lid including coupling means thereon adapted to cooperate with said recess means on said annular rim on said support ring so that said lid will be securely fastened to said selected container and a safety valve to prevent a buildup of excess pressure inside said selected container.
 4. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 1, wherein the wall and inner base arrangement of one of the cooking containers is related to another container in said set in such a manner that the cooking containers can be stacked one within the other.
 5. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 4, wherein the cooking container having a greater holding capacity is constructed so that it can be inserted in the cooking container with a smaller holding capacity.
 6. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 4, wherein each cooking container in said set has an upstanding wall which is inclined outwardly at a different angle than the others.
 7. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 4, wherein each cooking container in said set has a different transition radius between the inner base and the upstanding wall.
 8. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 4, wherein each cooking container in said set has equal wall inclinations, base inside diameters and transition radii.
 9. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 3, wherein the support ring consists of at least three hingedly connected sections.
 10. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 9, wherein the central section of said support ring is constructed as a double hinge.
 11. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 10, wherein the double hinge is hingedly connected to the adjacent sections each only along a part of its height which part is spaced from the upper edge.
 12. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 11, wherein the sections each have one edge strip which is spaced apart from and projects over the double hinge.
 13. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 11, wherein a handle is secured to the double hinge.
 14. The set of cooking utensils according to claim 1, wherein all cooking containers in said set have an equal base contact surface diameter. 